When you look at the number of homophones, it’s not difficult to see why so many students get caught out. The word “homophone” is used to describe a word that sounds the same as another word, but that has a different meaning. It comes from the Greek words “homo”, meaning “same”, and “phone”, meaning “voice”. The two (or more) words may be spelled differently, but just to make life difficult, they can also be spelled the same. The potential for confusion for native and non-native speakers alike is, unfortunately, great. Just to confuse you a little more (last time, promise), there are several words that we use to refer to different types of homophone. On the subject of multinyms, it may surprise you to learn that in English, there is one instance of a multinym with no fewer than seven variations, all sounding the same but meaning different things. There’s also one instance of six variants, two of five, 24 of four and 88 of three. Some of the variants are archaic words that aren’t used anymore, so you needn’t concern yourself with them. Lots of native English-speakers get confused about this one. Luckily, though, these three words have very different uses, and the examples below should help you remember them. To – used in the infinitive form of a verb, such as “to walk”, and also to mean “towards”. Too – this means “as well” or “also”; for example, “me too”. Two – this is the number; for example, “two days ago”. Their – this indicates possession: something belonging to them. For example, “we could use their boat”. They’re – this is a shortening of “they are”. For example, “They’re going to be here at 12pm”. Bonus: Yore – you’re not very likely to come across this one, but it’s an old-fashioned way of referring to a time long ago. For example, “In the days of yore” means a similar thing to “In olden times”. Another one on the long list of commonly confused words, these three are easily differentiated with some examples. Bye – short for “goodbye”, this is an expression used to bid someone farewell. Real grammar sticklers would probably insist on using an apostrophe at the beginning to indicate the absence of the word “good” – that is, “’bye” – but this is old-fashioned, so you don’t need to include one. One letter makes a big difference with these two, completely altering the meaning. Stationery – pens, pencils and other things you write with or on, for use in the office or when studying. The adjective forms of these two words add an extra layer of complexity for you to contend with. Compliment – this is a nice thing you say to someone to flatter them, for example, “You look nice today.” The adjective of this is “complimentary”, which has two meanings. It can refer to something expressing praise – such as “He was most complimentary, saying how pretty I looked.” But just to add to the confusion, “complimentary” can also mean “free of charge”. For example, “the airline provided complimentary drinks for those delayed”. Break – confusingly, this spelling this has several meanings. ○ As a noun, it can be used to signify a pause or stop, such as “a break in the schedule”, or you can “take a break”, meaning have some time off. If you’ve been browsing our website, you’ll probably know at least one of these meanings! Here are all the possible definitions. ○ A course is what we offer here at Oxford Royale Summer Schools – a programme of educational study. ○ In sport, it describes an area of land or water set aside for the purpose of a particular activity, such as a “golf course”, “water skiing course” or “cross country course”. ○ Another context in which you might hear this word is to describe parts of a meal. For instance, the “main course” is the most substantial part of the meal. ○ Less often heard is the use of this word to describe hunting with dogs, such as “hare coursing”. ○ As a verb, “to course” refers to the movement of liquid, such as “water coursing through a channel”. You’ll find a cunning way to remember the difference between these two under the definition for “hear” below. Piece – spelled this way, the word means a unit or portion of something, such as “a piece of cake”. To “say your piece” means to state your opinion about something, while “giving someone a piece of your mind” means to tell them – usually in anger – exactly what you think of a situation. Two words with almost entirely opposite meanings. The W is silent, because the English language likes to confuse us with apparently unnecessary silent letters. Whole – this means “complete” or “entire” – used as in “the whole story”. Hole – a “hole” indicates a lack of something, as in an opening. For example, the hole in a ring doughnut is the missing bit in the middle, while a “Black Hole” is an invisible area of space that appears to have nothing in it, because its gravity prevents even light from escaping. These identical-sounding words both derive from Old English words with Germanic origins. Stare – the verb “to stare” refers to the act of gazing intently at something. As a noun, it refers to the look itself – for example “a long, cold stare”. Stair – this refers to a single step, or one of a number of steps, used to connect two different levels, with variants including “staircase” (the complete set of steps), “stairway” (the steps and their surrounding walls), “stairwell” (the shaft occupied by the staircase), “downstairs” (the bottom level) and “upstairs” (the upper level). As this example illustrates, it’s amazing how much difference it makes to put unlikely letters at the beginning and end of a word. 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